Top Takeaways from ASCO: Circulating melanoma cells

Source: Healio.com/hematology-oncology, December 2015

CHICAGO — Circulating melanoma cells at baseline or at the 6-month follow-up point served as an indicator of relapse among patients with stage III melanoma and could serve as a way to detect patients at risk for recurrence.

“There is a need for more sensitive and specific prognostic markers for advanced stage melanoma patients to help improve the risk-benefit ratio of systemic adjuvant therapies,” the researchers wrote. “While it has been demonstrated that circulating melanoma cells can be detected in melanoma patients, there is limited data regarding the prognostic significance of [circulating melanoma cells].”

Anthony Lucci, MD, professor in the department of surgical oncology, division of surgery, at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, and colleagues presented their findings at the ASCO 2015 Annual Meeting. The prospective study was conducted to determine if circulating melanoma cells could be used to predict relapse.